Chapter 5: Delightful torture

Veins popped up in his head as he grunted in pain countless times. Sweat trailed down his head, and he could only hold his leg as he tried to be a man.

He was breathing harshly, and his eyes were raised to his wife who glared at him with nothing, but hate. She used to love him, care for him, take care of him, but all that was gone within a twinkle of an eye.

Tragic?

"Stop…" the word left his lip as a pant, and it felt like he couldn't do anything for himself. He held his legs still trying to mask the pain when Bianca hit him again, harder than the first.

"Ahhh!"

He screamed.

"Stop, please…"

“Enough!”

He begged Bianca who was now wacking his leg like she was hitting a wood.

When she was satisfied, she was already breathing harshly as well, and sweat trailed down her forehead as she walked away from where he was still on the ground screaming.

"You disgust me!"

She was still very angry, and she fisted her arms with hate in her eyes towards him. Then she picked up the soup she was drinking, and poured it on him.

He had not expected it, but his eyes closed, while his lips parted. He had never thought this was also coming.

The soup wasn't as hot, but it still burnt him.

“Bianca are you in your right mind?”

"Enough!" He caught her attention with his scream, and she raised her brows. She never knew her husband would stand up for himself because she had always seen him as a weakling.

She chuckled, dusting her palms against each other as she moved closer to him.

"Enough of what?"

“This!”

"His suffering."

Her brother, Alex, chipped in. Alex was a gym person. He had well built muscles, and that alongside money was what he used to sweep girls off their feet.

"Did you just talk to my sister? You had the right to say anything to her when you don't even feed her?"

He was in too much pain, he didn't even bother to hear what the other guy was saying.

His brother-in-law was one of the numerous people that surprised him. He didn't expect this kind of behaviour.

From the look of it, this family was only after his money, and it was really obvious now. He saw the greed face to face, and couldn't deny it.

"Don't worry about that, Alex. He's a loser anyway so what does he have to lose?"

Her father nodded, and her mother Rosa giggled. Alex's hands were still fisted, and he was the one that grabbed Lorenzo's attention.

Lorenzo was still sitting when Alex charged towards him, punching, and hitting him like there was no tomorrow.

"Ahhh!" He yelled when Alex's hands punched his gut. His brother-in-law hit him like he was a criminal, and it made him hate himself at this moment.

Was he going to die with this ill faith?

He was already giving up when Bianca downed a glass of water on him.

He could only wonder why his wife was so mean. Even when she was after his money, he wondered if the years he spent with her meant nothing at all. He wanted to fight but he couldn’t Even stand.

She was just too heartless, and took him like a stranger which shocked him.

Lorenzo had given up. He thought that he would die. However, something happened.

Someone came into the house, and as soon as she saw what happened, the keys she had in her hands fell on the ground.

Her face turned pale, and she gasped when she saw the harsh treatment being administered to her brother-in-law.

The feeling of him being maltreated caused her to quaver, and a tear slipped out her eyes as she remained astonished.

"Go help him!" Something in her alerted her, and that was the opportunity she used to rush towards him.

Alex's arm hung midair when he saw her, and his brows furrowed. "What are you doing?"

He asked, and that was when Clare spoke up.

"Stop!"

She felt the need to stand by him.

"Don't hurt him anymore! He doesn't deserve this."

"Yes he does!" Bianca the devil came to his side, and once she tried to push Clare out of the way, Clare pushed her back.

"I said don't come close!"

Bianca gasped, and so did the rest of her family, but she didn't care. She didn't want any harm to come to this man anymore.

She gulped as she tried to fight for him. However, landed her a slap on her cheek.

Clare held her cheek, and tried to stare at her sister. the girl she saw wasn't who she used to be. She thought Bianca fell in love with this man. Now, she saw that it was all a game.

"You hit me?" She asked with raised brows, and at that moment, she attacked Bianca with everything she got.

She pulled on Bianca's hair, and her brother tried to help Bianca, but she didn't care. To her, he was also very stupid.

"You all are really mean. You should try to be better, especially you."

"You fool! You pick a stranger over your own family?" She asked, breathing like a dragon.

"Yes! For your info, he's part of the family."

She pulled Bianca's hair.

"You fool! Aw!" She screamed. Her brother, and even her parents tried to help Bianca, but Clare's grip was strong.

"Do you think so? Well I'll show you what this fool can do."

"Stop it Clare, let go of your sister!"

"Oh so you care if I'm hurting her, and you can care about your hurting son-in-law?"

They went mute,and Clare continued to hit them until she heard a voice called out from behind her.

"Clare…"

It was faint, and when she turned, she noticed how weak it was.

She pushed her sister who staggered, but she was lucky to be caught in the hands of her brother.

"Lorenzo. Don't worry, hold on!" He exclaimed, trying to help him, but his eyes kept becoming heavier, getting ready to accept the darkness. He had been starved, beaten up, malnourished, and sick.

She managed to lift up his not so heavy body because of how ill-treated he was, he hardly had any flesh on.

Clare helped him to her car, and sped off to the hospital, the same one she had brought him to earlier.

Her breath came out in pants as she ran inside to alarm the nurse.

"There's a patient that needs attention."

The moment the nurse heard that, she immediately arranged for a stretcher bed to be brought and he was helped out of the car, and rushed to the hospital ward where the nurses did their work.

Clare was required to fill up some paperwork, and when she was done, she saw one of the doctor's come out of the ward.

"He's stable, but there's something else."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she listened to him with worry on her face.

"Oh no, is it that bad? Can anything be done?"

"I'm afraid not ma'am."

The doctor replied before excusing himself.

She moved to his room, only to see him lying. Unconscious, and she felt guilty for him. Her heart was pounding, and all she could do was sit, and wait.

About an hour later, he opened his eyes, and was shocked to find himself in a hospital. Clare , she was with him.

Clare sat on a chair with her head lowered, and it seemed like she had fallen asleep.

"Clare?" He called, and she raised up her head with urgency.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed with a smile.

"Yes, thanks to you."

He noticed how sad she was afterwards, and how she was deep in thought, so he asked her what the matter was.

"Bad news."

Hearing those words made his ears tingle, and he didn't know what that could be since she was still at the hospital.

"What is it?" He asked with his heart drumming.

"Please. Be calm." She tried to calm him down by holding his hands in hers.

She closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath. "I spoke to the doctor."

"I don't know how to–"

"Tell me anything Clare. I can bear it."

She pressed her lips together, and nodded. "I'm sorry. All this is because of my family."

She tried to blink back her tears, but some slipped out.

"You can't walk anymore. You need to use a wheelchair."

He widened his eyes in shock, and he grabbed her hands tightly.

"No, tell me it's not true!" He yelled, but she only started crying.

He didn't know why seeing her tears crushed him, so he knew he had to be strong, not only for himself, but for her.

"Don't worry. We'll get through this. I have been here before" He pulled her close, and hugged her tightly. She was the only form of support he had.

She gasped when her eyes landed on the wall clock.

"Oh my. I've got to go, I have exams."

He wasn't surprised, she was a student after all.

"Oh. I shouldn't keep you waiting then. I know you'll break the exam scores."

He teased, and she giggled.

"Of course. I made sure to get some nurses who will attend to you till I return, okay? There's also a wheel cheer if you want to stroll."

He sighed, and smiled at her. “okay”

Once she left the room, the nurse incharge came in, and asked what he wanted to do.

"I want to go out for a stroll."

The nurses quickly arranged for that, and as they strolled with him in the wheelchair, he ended up wanting to go round the hospital when he saw something that caught his attention.

"Stop."

He told the nurse, and he swallowed.